EarthBound: An Epic Modern Adventure
by Thunder Magus
Summary: An average 13 year old boy's life is twisted around the night a meteor crashes on a hill near his home. He discovers he is chosen by destiny to confront an alien fiend known as Giygas in order to prevent an apocalyptic future. Novelization of the game.
1. It Begins

The year is 199X…

Onett, a small town in Eagleland.

The darkness of night blanketed that small town with the singing of crickets breaking the otherwise dead silence. In one house, off in the hills away from the most of the town, your average 13-year old boy, Ness, lie sleeping in bed, dreaming about the long-awaited arrival of Killer Instinct on the SNES. The arcade game was at the local arcade, of course, but Ness viewed the release of the game on a home console as a chance to perfect his Fulgore combos from the comfort of his room.

However, on that fateful night, Ness snapped awake at the sound of a vociferous explosion, followed by a tremor strong enough to shake the entire house. Even the glass of water sitting on a nightstand next to his bed rattled and shook with the wrath of the tremor.

"Earthquake! EARTHQUAAAAAAAAAKE!" Ness shouted as he dove under his bed for protection from the collapsing ceiling, hitting his forehead on the metal bed stand on his way under. The dark shadows obscuring most of the room only made it that much more terrifying.

The shaking only lasted a few seconds before the ground calmed once more, at which point Ness decided he was safe and the bizarre event which had just unfolded was not an earthquake, but that didn't keep his heart from pounding like it was trying to pop right out of his chest. If it wasn't an earthquake, then what did cause such a violent shaking?

Ness crawled out from underneath the bed and rubbed the sore spot on his skull. After shaking off the pain he walked to the door, opened it and flicked on the light switch outside his door. As the hallway flooded with light, Ness squinted his darkness-adjusted eyes to fight the pain sudden light brought upon his retinas. His little sister Tracy's room was next door. Ness didn't know how she'd know anymore than he did, but it couldn't hurt to check.

"Trace, you okay?" Ness asked after opening the door and peeking his head in.

A girl in a red night dress and a head of shoulder-length blonde hair, matted and tangled from bedhead, looked up from her desk at her brother's face protruding through the doorway. She'd already had her light turned on and was listening to a Backstreet Boys CD to help ease her nerves.

Tracy took the headphones out of her ears. "Oh, hi big bro! Did the explosion wake you up? Were you freaked out?"

Trembling, Ness looked down at a wet spot on the crotch of his pajamas. Well, was he the big brother or wasn't he? "W-w-who me? N-n-n-no way!"

"I wonder what that was?"

As the siblings stood contemplating the current affair of interest, police sirens wailed from outside the house, followed by the brilliant flickering of red and blue cop car lights on the ground one story below. Tracy stood up to peer out the window of her room. "Holy cow, there's at least five cop cars out there already!"

"Cops? I wonder if it was something serious?" Ness asked.

"Why don't you go ask mom? She knows everything!"

Not a bad idea, Ness decided. He left his sister to herself, continued down the hallway to drag himself downstairs into the family den.

"Ness, did that sound wake you up?" Mom asked upon seeing her son pull up a seat on the dining room table to collect his thoughts. Ness' mother was a pretty woman in her late 30's, with short curly blonde hair and blue eyes filled with the warm compassion of a mother's unconditional love.

"Mom, everyone in Dalaam could have heard that," Ness answered with a rub of his eyes.

Mom was sitting on the living room couch with the T.V. turned on. Surely a news story was bound to come on soon to cover whatever had just happened. She looked away from the T.V. at Ness. "You don't seem scared. Are you nuts?"

It wasn't that Ness wasn't scared, only groggy and lethargic having woken up no more than five minutes ago. "Well I was at first, when I thought it was an earthquake. Now I'm just curious."

"And you want to go check it out now? I suppose I could let you. You'll sneak out of your room anyway even if I tell you no. Just change out of your jammies before you head out, ok?" One eyebrow raised, Mom observed Ness' wrinkled, ugly pajamas. "If the news people are out there, I don't want you caught on T.V. looking like that!"

Ness groaned. He was thirteen years old, too old for a silly word like "jammies." Alas, moms will be moms. Better off being babied than slapped around like the neighbor kids, Pokey and Pickey.

After going upstairs and shuffling his half-awake feet across the hallway floor, Ness threw on his favorite blue and yellow striped shirt, denim shorts and red baseball cap. With nothing further to do, he ran back downstairs. A shaggy white mutt was laying sprawled out on the living room carpet. Ness kneeled down to give the dog a scratch behind the ears.

"Hey, King. You wanna go for a walk, boy?"

Usually at the word "walk" King would dance about the house like he was stepping on hot coals, but this time the dog just looked up, sighed and rested his head back against the carpet.

_I've got fleas sucking me dry right now, so I think I'll just lie here._

Ness cocked his head in confusion. Did he just hear King…talking? It couldn't be, must have been his imagination. It looked like he'd have to go out alone.

"Later, mom!"

"Come back as soon as you can, sweetie!" Mom yelled after her son as he ran out the front door.


	2. The Strange Meteorite

It might have been unnerving for a thirteen year old boy to go out walking by himself in the dead of night, but Ness could hardy fight his curiosity. Right in front of his house, two policemen had set up a roadblock on the path leading into town. Maybe they knew something.

"Hey, officers. What's going on here?" he asked them.

"The Onett police department is infamous for road blocks. We're going for the world record," the cop on the right said.

"Don't panic, it's just a meteorite that…what? Crashed down on the hill and…I want to go home!" said the other cop.

A meteorite? Awesome! Ness HAD to see this. Barely able to control his excitement, he ran for the hilltop path next to his neighbor's house. Another police officer was standing watch by his car near the bottom cliff of the hill.

"Hey kid, don't you know what time it is? Get yer butt home, pronto!"

Ness, however, ignored the officer's instructions as he continued his dash for Onett's highest hill. Having not eaten since dessert earlier that night, Ness' stomach argued with his haste. If only he'd brought a cookie or something from home. His stomach made a valid point he figured, running might not be the best option as hungry as he was.

A single dirt path wound and twisted along the rocky hillside north of Onett, lined with an occasional police car parked to help assist in the ordeal. Ness approached another one, shielding his eyes from the radiant red and blue lights illuminating the hilly pathway. The policeman groaned upon seeing the red-capped boy approach. Must have been the fifth kid he saw pass him since he'd been stationed there to maintain order.

"Is there a problem, officer?" Ness asked.

The cop rubbed his face in frustration. "A meteorite has landed, the Sharks are going wild in town, you kids are running around, and I'm hungry! I hate my job."

Biting his lip in dread of having to one day join the workforce so many adults complain about, Ness continued on along the path, erasing yet another job idea from his head. What was so bad about being a cop, anyway? Cops got to do all kinds of cool stuff he never got to do.

Eventually the dirt road turned to grass, but the high rocky cliffs still served to single out one valid escalating path to the highest point of Onett's hills. From where Ness was walking, he could make out a faint orange glow from that point. That must have been where the meteor crashed.

Ness' heart raced with each step closer he got. It wasn't every day a kid got to see a fallen meteorite right in his own town! Briefly, he imagined himself as an old man, telling the story to his grandkids. The thought was rather unpleasant though, and Ness was quick to shake it off.

Sitting at the top of hill was a small countryside house, with its owner standing in front of the door to see what the commotion was all about. Of course, it was Lier X. Agerate, self-proclaimed treasure hunter, and one of Ness' friends.

"Ness, hiya buddy!" the man in a sky blue button-up shirt said as he waved at Ness' approach.

"Hi, Lier. What's going on?"

"A meteorite fell on the hill across from my house and went BOOM! It was a real mess for a while. I was fine because I always work out and eat garlic to keep my strength up. The weaker citizens probably fainted."

Garlic. The very word made Ness' stomach churn. That, and the fact he could smell the pungent roasted garlic coming out of an open window in Lier's house. Suddenly he wasn't so hungry anymore.

"Anyway I have a secret to tell you." Lier glanced about the hills. A crowd of people had gathered a distance away to see the meteorite that had landed. "Uh…why don't you come back later, when there aren't so many people around. By the way, why don't you check out my billboard. That's my real job, you know. I'm a billboard guy."

Ness looked to the right of the house, where a billboard had been stuck into the ground. As he moved in to observe it, Lier took this distraction to wipe beads of nervous sweat from his forehead with a towel. One of many things that proved he was a man who lived up to his deceptive sounding name.

Upon inspecting the billboard, Ness read the words outloud. "Treasure hunter! This is Lier X. Agerate's house!"

_Is this guy serious?_ Ness thought to himself with a scratch of the back of his head. Leir had always rubbed off as a little creepy, so Ness moved on without another word. From where he stood he could barely see the top of the meteorite, glowing red hot in the darkness of the night on the highest part of the hill in front of him.

_Woah, that is awesome!_ Ness thought to himself. He kept his eyes locked onto the meteor as he walked, paying no attention to where he was going. At the top of the hill, right by the chunk of space rock, was one police officer standing guard, and a man in an orange shirt.

A slight push brought Ness away from his distraction. Another police officer had held him from nearly tripping over two roadblocks obstructing the slope up that highest hill.

"Woah, sorry son, we can't let you go any farther. One at a time."

Ness looked back up at the officer and the man on top of the hill. So much for getting to see the meteor.

"Hey, aren't you his neighbor?" asked the cop who held Ness back, motioning to a chubby kid Ness' age trying to squeeze between the roadblocks. Between his large belly and the two police officers grabbing hold of his arms, his attempts to pass through were futile.

"Pokey," Ness grumbled. Pest of the universe.

"You're friends, right?"

"In his warped little mind, maybe." Ness had been the unfortunate victim of being Pokey's best friend. Pokey, on the other hand, was not Ness' best friend. Just a neighbor kid who had no one else to hang out with. Despite Pokey's reputation of being a menace, Ness still found it in his young heart to pity him.

"Well, can you do something about him? He's driving us up the wall!"

Ness' body drooped and he sighed. Dealing with Pokey was not on his list of favorite things to do. Ness also knew the police had enough to deal with as it was.

"Hiya, Nessie ol' pal!" Pokey said upon seeing Ness come up to him.

"Pokey, it's late. Shouldn't you be home?"

The rotund boy pointed a finger at Ness. "I think you should be the one to go home. After all, you're getting in the way of the cops…oops, I mean officer's work. I'm fine here, but you're bugging our brave and selfless public service officers!"

Ness held his palm to his face and shook his head. No use dealing with a moron. Besides, he was tired and hungry. If he didn't head back home soon, his feet might not make it all the way back. From that altitude he could see the entire town blanketed in the shadows of the evening sky. It was a long way down, better to start now. Morning would be a better time to see the meteor, after the crowd and all the cops left.


	3. Chosen by Fate

Pound pound pound.

Pound pound.

Noises like someone pounding on wood snapped Ness awake from yet another dream of Killer Instinct's SNES port. He sat up weary-eyed to find his room still veiled by pitch-black shadows.

"Mmm…what now?" Ness moaned, rubbing his eyes.

Pound poundpoundpoundpound pound pound.

Eager to find out what was causing the noise so he could either halt or clobber the source and get back to sleep, Ness threw off his covers. Tracy was already in the upstairs hallway when Ness opened his door. "Hey sis, what's all that racket out here?"

"Someone's knocking at the door."

Poundpoundpound! Poundpound! Poundpoundpoundpoundpound!

Ness' little sister wrinkled her face in disgust. "What an annoying knock!"

"I'll get it," Ness grumbled.

"Wait!" Tracy shouted. She darted into her room for a few seconds, then emerged once more carrying a wooden baseball bat with a large crack running across the middle circumference.

"Why would I need a bat?"

"In case it's a burglar or something!"

With an annoyed sigh, Ness grabbed the bat from Tracy's hand and headed downstairs. Burglar or not, Ness felt like using it either way. Who knocks on someone's door so loud that late at night?

Pound pound pound.

"Ness, honey, could you get that? I'm in the bathroom!" Mom's voice yelled from inside the porcelain shrine.

Bat held at the ready, Ness turned the doorknob and eased the door open. With a threatening shout, he took up a defensive stance, holding the bat with both hands, ready to strike.

"Don't hurt me! Don't hurt me!" the pudgy form in the doorway said, covering up his head of shaggy blonde hair.

"Pokey?" Ness asked, setting the bat down to a less threatening position. "What in the wide world of Nintendo do you think you're doing? It's four-thirty in the morning!"

"L-l-l-listen to what I have to say! It's a matter of life and death!"

The door to the bathroom opened, catching Ness' attention as his mom walked out in a silk nightgown, her hair tangled and matted with the classic tell-tale look of bed hair.

"Oh, hello, ma'am. You're looking lovely, as usual," Pokey said, stepping in the door. He snickered to himself at this comment.

Ness' mom smiled at the neighbor kid. "Hi, Pokey,"

"What do you want, Pokey?" Ness asked with a rub of his eyes and a shake of his head.

"Well, I took my little brother Picky to the place where the meteorite landed. The cops who were guarding the meteorite left in a hurry to deal with the Sharks, they were going real wild. When I turned around, I realized Picky was gone! When my dad gets home, I know I'm gonna get it."

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

"You're my bestest friend. Please, help me find Picky! If you refuse me, I'll say something that'll cut you like a knife."

"Mom?" Ness asked as he turned to face her.

"Sure, you can go sweetie. But I think you should change out of your jammies before you leave."

Hearing Pokey chortle at this, Ness snapped around and pointed a menacing finger at him. "Don't…say…a word."

"Come on in, Pokey. You can have a seat on the couch," Ness mom said as her son went upstairs to change. Pokey obliged and flipped on the T.V. to The Three Stooges.

A few minutes later, Ness came tromping back down the stairs, again in his denim shorts, blue and yellow striped shirt and red cap. Pokey looked up at his friend just as Moe bonked Curly Joe on the head with a hammer. Classic comedy.

"Alright, let's blow this popsicle stand. You go in front, and I'll follow behind at a safe distance." Pokey said as he stood up from the couch.

"King, come on boy!" yelled Ness, grabbing the cracked bat on his way out the door. The shaggy white mutt picked himself off the floor, shook off his fur and followed Ness and Pokey outside.

The early morning sky was still pitch dark, dotted with stars and a glowing moon when Ness stepped out into the cool morning air. Most of the crickets had quieted, but there were still a few well-hidden insects offering their songs to break what would otherwise be utter silence.

The dirt path leading to Onett's summit was damp with fresh morning dew. This time Ness' walk up the hill was much less chaotic. Pokey must have been telling the truth when he said all the cops left for town to deal with the Sharks. There wasn't a single police car or officer along those stony cliffs.

"W-w-wait! What was that rustling noise?" Pokey asked.

A large black bird flew out from the shadowy leaves of a tree in front of the two boys.

"It's just a crow, Pokey," Ness said.

Much to Ness' surprise, instead of flying away in retreat, the crow flew right in front of his face. Ness had never seen a crow charge right at a human before. Frozen in bewilderment, there was no time to respond as the bird pecked right at his eyes.

"Ow!" Ness yelled out, shielding his face with his arm to prevent further damage to his optic receptors while King barked at the crow. "Pokey, get over here and help me!"

There was no response. Ness looked to the left. There was Pokey, lying on the ground playing dead while a spiteful crow was pecking at the top of his friend's skull. Ness should have known better than to rely on Pokey. He darted out from under the crow's beak, holding his bat in an offensive stance. "Alright bird, come and get me!"

The spiteful crow wasted no time in obeying Ness' taunt as it streaked towards him.

"Batter up!" Ness shouted with a swing of the bat. The attack connected, sending the crow spiraling several yards away before crashing limp into the tree. Some sort of round, flat object flew from the bird's body just before Ness smashed it.

"Sweet, it dropped a cookie!" Pokey said as he bend down to pick the object up.

"Alright, you're not going eat that cookie, are you?" Ness asked with his right eye closed tight in pain.

Pokey responded by chomping down on the sweet pastry without a word.

That was odd. Crows always avoided people. Why did that one attack him without provocation? Ness shrugged it off. Maybe it was defending its eggs.

The two boys continued their trek up the hill to where the meteorite had landed, mostly with Pokey sticking so close to Ness that their sides touched and King following close behind.

"Could you back off just a little?" Ness asked in a tone that made his discomfort obvious.

"S-s-sorry Ness. These hills are so spooky at night."

Ness cursed his compassion that led him to helping this annoying coward when he could be at home asleep. At least it would be a good chance to finally see the meteorite.

Halfway up the top of the hill, King stopped in his four-legged tracks, growling with raised fur.

"What is it, boy?" Ness asked as he stopped walking and turned back to the dog.

Holding a low defensive position, King barked at an approaching fellow canine on a slope a distance away. The other dog returned King's bark with his own, then rushed in at the trio.

"Shoo! Go home, dog!" Ness shouted, making a dismissive gesture with his hands.

"Dooog!" Pokey shouted. He grabbed Ness by the back of his striped shirt and positioned himself behind Ness, using him as a shield.

"What are you doing? Get off me!"

The two dogs circled each other with bared teeth. King lunged forward and the canines became a tangled, snarling ball of fur as they scratched and bit at each other. Though he was ready to strike at the strange dog with his bat, Ness didn't want to take the risk of hitting King by mistake. One of the dogs yelped in pain, and they pushed each other away. Ness saw his chance, but with Pokey still clung to the back of his shirt, he couldn't move in for an attack.

He didn't have to, as the strange dog ran at him to bite down on his shin. "Ouch! Stupid dog!" Ness raised the bat above his head and slammed it down into the top of the dog's head hard as he could. With this distraction, King was able to move in and bite down on the stray dog's neck.

After that last attack, the dog ran away yelping all the way down the hill.

"Crazy mutt," Ness said as he rubbed his bitten shin.

When the boys reached the summit of Onett's hills, Ness' eyes widened at the sight of the meteor. It made a good hole in the hill that cradled the fallen space rock, which was still glowing red hot in the darkness of the night. Most of the grass around the crater had been either singed or completely burned away, and it was still hot enough to warm Ness' face from where he was standing several feet away.

A piercing howl from King echoed across the hills, the dog's tail tucked between his legs.

_If I'd have know this was going to be such a spooky place, I wouldn't have come here! I'm going home!_

Ness blinked in confusion as his dog ran back down the hill, becoming a silhouette in the distance darkness. Did he just hear King talking again? Probably just his imagination. As Ness inspected the meteor, Pokey walked to edge of the cliff. There was Picky, lying asleep in what little grass hadn't yet been burned away. "Picky! Wake up!" Pokey yelled as he gave his brother a push on the shoulder.

"Hm? Pokey?" Picky stood up, rubbing the eyes obscured underneath his long blonde bangs. "I've been looking all over for you, Pokey!"

"Huh? Pokey told me he was looking for YOU!" Ness said.

Picky laughed. "Well, you see, Pokey got scared and ran away, leaving me behind! We should head home now. I'll bet mom and dad are worried sick of us. Geez, sometimes I wonder which one of us is the real big brother!"

"Yes, let's head back now so I can get the whole 4 hours of sleep a growing boy needs," Ness muttered.

Before the boys could leave the hill, Pokey stopped, holding his head high. "Hey, do you guys hear something?" The sound that made Pokey did a double take grew louder. Vaguely familiar, like the humming of an insect's wings. "Do you hear something that sounds like a bee flying?"

Ness stopped as well, narrowing his eyes in concentration. "Come to think of it…"

"A bee I am…not."

Startled by the strange new voice, Ness nearly tripped over his own heels as he reeled back from the meteor. Moments later, a pillar of golden light wide as a human shot from the meteor. It stretched all the way to the sky, seeming to pierce the heavens themselves. What looked like a bee fluttered out from the column of light and hovered in front of Ness' face.

"My name is Buzz Buzz. I've come to this era from ten years in the future, and in the future, all is devastation. Giygas, the Universal Cosmic Destroyer, has sent all to the horror of eternal darkness."

Ness cocked his head with a raised eyebrow. Since when to bugs talk? And what was with that pillar of light? Giygas? Future? Eternal darkness?

"Uh…come again?" Pokey asked.

"You must listen! Where I come from, there is a legend that has been handed down from ancient times. It says, 'When the chosen boy reaches the point, he will find the light. The passing of time will shatter the nightmare rock and reveal the path of light.' You see, it is my belief that you are that boy the legend speaks of, Ness!"

"Wha- me? What are you talking about? I'm just an average 13 year old kid! And how did you know my name?"

"Your brainwaves tell me otherwise. I can sense an incredible amount of psychic energy coming from you. Believe it or not, you have the ability to wield psychic powers. In a sense, your brainwaves-that is, your psychic energy-told me your name. I can also sense your body is slightly channeling the Earth's power as its own. Only one person had this ability: the chosen boy. That ability is the key to defeating Giygas, and was given to you by fate."

Psychic powers? Maybe that's why he was able to hear King talking earlier! Heart pounding like a bass drum, Ness continued to listen in silence as the bee-creature dove lower near the meteor.

"This meteorite is a heralding that Giygas' monstrous plan of total annihilation has been set in motion somewhere on Earth. If you begin to confront the enemy now, you may have time to counter the evil intentions of Giygas."

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Ness quivered and continued to listen.

Buzz Buzz flew back up to Ness. "Always remember three things are of the utmost importance of you are to complete your goal: wisdom, courage and friendship. The legend tells of thee boys and a girl who defeat Giygas. There is no time, you must begin now!"

So much for a young boy to take in all at once. Ness trembled, for somewhere deep inside he could sense that this bee creature was telling the truth. Did he really have the power to change the fate of the entire world?

"Did you listen to everything I just told you?"

"Yeah…"

"Good! You are as exceptional as I'd hoped you to be. Do not be anxious about the future! You have much work to do."

Ness could only stare at the ground in astonishment. This insectoid alien seemed to know too much to simply be ignored, and with the way that golden light shot from the meteor maybe it really did come from some sort of apocalyptic future. In that moment, he decided he would believe Buzz Buzz, and confront whatever this Giygas thing was.

"Ness!" Pokey shouted, bringing him away from his inner thoughts. "It looks like you're really in a lot of trouble this time. Three boys, he said? I'm not one of them, am I? Because I'm really not into this sort of thing at all! Jeez, my heart is almost pounding right out of my chest!"


	4. Starman Jr Attacks!

The trip back down the hills of Onett was comparatively peaceful to the trek up the hills. On the outside, anyway. Fear, nervousness, doubt, worry, and awe-struck disbelief swelled within Ness, a cocktail that was more unpleasant than his mom's two-week old tater tot casserole that had been left in the sunlight for too long. Did he really have the power to thwart this Giygas? Was the Earth really in such danger? How would he even begin to confront this alien? These racing thoughts kept him in silence for the entire walk home, though Pokey and Picky were no less chatty than usual. Ness only got bits and pieces of the brothers' excited rambling, questions about when he was going to start the journey, how he was going to fight, or if he wanted to borrow anything to use as a weapon.

"You seem distracted, my young friend," Buzz Buzz said, hovering above Ness's red cap.

"Can you blame me?"

"I suppose not. But you must keep a clear head and be courageous if you are to be victorious over Giygas."

Only a few yards a away, Ness could see his house. Finally He thought about sleep, his nice, warm bed, and A smile he couldn't fight spread across his face. Before he could take another step, a column of light brilliant enough to force the boys to shield their eyes shot down from the stars. A silvery metallic creature which Ness could only describe as some sort of humanoid robot emerged from the column of light before it vanished back into the black sky.

"Starman Jr.!" Buzz Buzz shouted.

"We meet again, Buzz Buzz," the creature now known to Ness as Starman Jr. said, probably through some artificial voice box as it had no visible mouth. "You've been successful at foiling master Giygas' plans. But it doesn't matter. To Giygas, you are nothing more than a minor nuisance."

"He must have been afraid if he sent you to follow me back this far."

"My master fears nothing. He merely sent me here to be sure you did not contact the chosen one."

"You're too late. It so happens I have the chosen boy with me right here!"

The robot eyed the boy in the striped shirt, who was armed with only a cracked baseball bat. "Ha! As if this child would be any cause for concern to Giygas. It's time that I crush you like the bug you are, and then I'll dispose of your juvenile friend here. You're no longer a hero, Buzz Buzz, just a useless insect. I'll stomp you hard!"

Starman Jr. raised its point arms to the air, summoning an aura of fire above its head that pierced through the darkness.

"What the?" Picky said.

"Get behind me!" Buzz Buzz shouted. The boys, all except for Pokey, who was nowhere to be found, did as told and moved behind the insectoid. _The coward_ Ness thought to himself. Pokey'd probably hidden himself in a nearby bush.

A wave of fire emerged from the points of Starman Jr.'s handless arms, lighting up the dark hills as it rolled and cascaded around the trio, but never actually touched them. Despite the smoke smoldering around them, Ness never felt any heat.

"What was that? What just happened?" Ness asked, checking his body to make sure he hadn't sustained any burns. Yet his clothing remained uncharred.

"Don't be alarmed. I've created a barrier that will repel his psychic attacks. He won't be able to harm us."

Ness turned his attention to the side, at Buzz Buzz. "Psychic?"

"Do not waste time talking, focus on the enemy!"

Another wave of fire wrapped around Buzz Buzz's invisible barrier, and the insectoid charged forward. Despite his tiny size, the attack was enough to jar Starman Jr.. The android, or whatever it was, groaned as it stumbled backward. Using this diversion to his advantage, Ness ran in to give it a home-run swing to the head with his cracked bat. The attack simply glanced off Starman Jr. with a metallic clang.

"Get back!" Buzz Buzz yelled. Ness and Pokey dove behind the bee creature's shield just in time to evade another fire attack. "Don't get careless!"

"Not bad, Buzz Buzz. But master Giygas will be pleased when I return to him with your stain on my heel!"

During the confusion, Picky spotted a fist-sized rock on the ground, and bent down to pick it up. It felt sharp in his soft hands, heavy. Hopefully enough to drive the strange robotic attacker away.

"Take this, you overgrown tin can!" Picky drew his arm back and hoped for the best. Then, with all his might, lobbed the rock, letting out a squeal of alarm only seconds later as the rock bounced off of the robot with no more damage than if it was a brick wall.

Buzz Buzz had seen enough. Clearly Ness was not yet powerful enough to even scratch Starman Jr., let alone a normal Starman. He'd have to finish the battle himself. Closing his eyes, concentrating, Buzz Buzz set up a new shield to repair the waning psychic barrier he'd set up. A wise decision, as Starman Jr. sent forth a blast of sub-arctic wind at the boys, which turned to wispy, dancing steam upon hitting the psychic shield. Buzz Buzz flew forward once more, landing a direct hit to Starman Jr.'s visor. The eye piece shattered, Buzz Buzz streaked through, and the cyborg tilted over back-first into the grass.

Buzz Buzz hovered above Starman Jr. in a moment of triumph. "Go crawl back to your master, Starman Jr. Give him my regards. The Apple of Enlightenment's prophecy will be fulfilled. I have found the chosen boy, Giygas' plan is doomed already."

"It's no use, Buzz Buzz. Giygas has already set his plan in motion. You're too late. This child could not even dent my armor...and you think he's the chosen boy. Ha! Giygas is a million times stronger than I am. This boy, no, this planet has no hope. Master Giygas will avenge me…"

A brilliant explosion enveloped the fallen android, sucking the air from Ness' nostrils as he shielded his face from the heat with his arm. When the explosion silenced, there was nothing left of Starman Jr.

Ness stood huffing and puffing with his bat still at the ready. Had it not been for Buzz Buzz, that…thing would have killed him. Easily. Did he really have the power to stop something like Giygas when even that small robot was too much for him?

"Whew," Buzz Buzz said in a sigh of relief, "I was taking a big chance there. He came from ten years in the future to kill me, so we can't relax yet. From now on you'll be fighting enemies sent by Giygas, as well as humans with evil thoughts. Animals are also become violent, due to Giygas' influence over the evil in their minds. It is the truth, so listen!"

Confused, Ness looked beyond the hills towards the town of Onett. Morning sunlight had barely begun to peek out over the southern horizon where the hills thinned out, towards the suburbs. Not enough for any serious amount of light, but enough to make it seem as though the skyline had been set ablaze. A new day was beginning, and the start of an incredible adventure.


End file.
